Membership Favorite Archetype of Character?

[Sparky Muse 16]

Sooo I'm just bored and figured I'd ask a random-ish question, because why not, so my question is going to be, what's you favorite "Archetype" of character to play/write? I mean, do you like to play the criminal looking for redemption, the school kid with big dreams, the master of magic who's seen some s--- and seeks to pass on their knowledge, the amateur who's just beginning to discover the potential of what they can do, the working-class citizen just trying to get through another day, the tragic/dark protagonist/antagonist, the ambitious adventurer, the timid introvert, the sadist, the masochist, the what? I figure, it probably varies on a character-by-character basis, and I don't just mean character plots, I mean, personality, or backstory, or et cetera? Basically, what's your favorite way to make your characters, I guess? Not really sure if it's a good question or not, or even if it's one with a potential for a whole lot of answers, I just figured I'm bored and I'd run my mouth with whatever came to mind.

[Gota 45]

I like the somewhat stupid bro-friend. Not the asshole jock type but more like a really good friend who isn't the smartest tool in the shed but extremely loyal and just a blast to have around because he's fun and social and often ends up in stupid situations. A good example for that are Junpei Iori and Masato Inohara.
Plus points if he's strong and a bit bulky but not a bodybuilder and if he's part of a group of close friends.

[Shades 676]

I have way too many archetypes I love, but the "adopted mother" is definitely one of my favorite. She can be a stepmom, or just an older female figure who's always there for younger friends and providing them with emotional support, a place to sleep or a nice warm meal, whatever it is they need.

 

She doesn't have to actually adopt them, though she will sometimes, but she'll always play the motherly role for those in need of someone to do so. She can be young (I've had 'adopted mothers' as young as 19) or older (around their mid 40s), age isn't really a defining factor.

[Kazetatsu 263]

Lately I've taken to playing the somewhat annoying trickster boy type, he's skinny, streetsmart, better at using his head than his fists, tends to stick his nose where he shouldn't, He's good at getting himself and other characters in and out of trouble, often at other's expense. He is often used as a bit of a venue to push characters into meeting when they might not normally have the chance.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Kazetatsu

[CovertSphinx 710]

oooohhhh this is a really tough one. I love to play pretty much everything* (*almost).  But if I had to narrow it down to a couple of "Often used".... 

 

🍪 The Annoyingly-Friendly Adventurer who, despite being decently skilled in fighting (They've seen some dark shit), seems to rely heavily on a generous dose of "Idiot's Luck" to get anything productive done. Or rather, perhaps, fakes being an idiot to throw people off. Often doubles as the "Wise mentor seeking apprentice (by accident)". 

 

💀 The "Affibly Evil" Neutral-type villain who seems ice cold and surgically practical (often being accused of being cruel by their lack of emotion or care), but is this way from a point of survival and necessity - and later revealed to be a thoughtful and fiercely loyal companion if a Heel Face Turn is made. 

 

💫 The Novice who has a grasp of the basics but otherwise still has a long way to go in their journey ---- allowing me to explore how different triggering events can turn them into entirely different people if presented the opportunity. These are the kinds of characters that I'll ret-con for different boards just to see how different the character develops. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by CovertSphinx

[Jacob 58]

Cherubic boys and youths who maintain their dispositions amidst insalubrious surroundings.  Mine are always birthed by runaway gentlewomen that quickly expire afterward.

[Huskerdust 625]

I like the shy but way eager and overly talkative nerds. 

I love mute or mostly mute characters who have very little to say aloud but a lot on the inside. 

I like overly confident types who have that one little insecurity they’re always trying to cover up. 

I like down south farmer boys. 

I like big dumb dudes with a funny nature. 

[Elena 546]

The underdog, the adoptive mother-of-all, the ambitious tomboy.

[Dragon 673]

The "Shapeshifter" archetype.

 

Not necessarily (though sometimes) a literal shapeshifter - but that character who blurs the line between ally and enemy / good and evil, so to speak. The character that is not what he/she appears to be. In the same vein of but more complex in nature than the "trickster" or the "fool' archetypes. 

 

Gollum from Lord of the Rings, for example. Elsa Schneider from The Last Crusade.  Remus Lupin in Harry Potter. 

 

[Lawman 88]

The wrench wench; cause tinkering with hardware seems to be a largely male thing. Hence it's always fun in my book to subvert gender stereotypes. My ideal type is the sort who can somehow look cute in grimy overalls, yet clean up nicely for a dinner party later in the evening. 

 

Reasonable authority figure. A lot of writers seem to like to portray those in positions of power as inept and/or corrupt. I on the other hand prefer to play all-around competent leaders who are also wise and sensible. 

 

[River 57]

In the most general sense, I always end up playing the fish out of water character, usually trying to preserve the secrets of their past so they're not judged by the new group (whether or not that's a valid fear).

 

The well-meaning character who lives alone and speaks cryptically, thus feeding into rumors about their morality or supernatural powers.

 

The character who's phenomenal at their job but then you see them off-duty and wonder how they're still alive.

[Sage 289]

I cycle between 3 characters for the most part!

• The super tough "good dude" with soft heart and heavy moral boundaries (almost always a cop of some sort, or at lease some sort of protector/leader)
• The soft boi who puts on a tough face but actually cries like a lot and is a lil potato
• The extremely nerdy girl who never shuts up, knows she's better than you, and will fuck you up behind a computer #hackers

[Sanghelios 12]

I loooove writing angsty trainwreck boys. My girls tend to be all kinds of archetypes but my archetype for boys tend to be an archetype I call "Sadboy".  They tend to be extremely bad at processing their emotions, and just are disasters, even if they don't look it on the surface.

 

Outside of that, I do try to do a variety of different characters, since its hard for me to be able to play two characters that are too similar. Even the Sadboys tend to be compartmentalized into different kinds of Sadboy.

[eleholly 118]

My favorite, especially in high/epic fantasy settings, is the naive good girl who grows over the course of the story. I have this one lady knight that I write on a 1x1 that's hella naive and is out in her "world"' for the first time. She saw a guy with feathers on his back. She wanted to touch the feathers. She touched the feathers. Shenanigans. Shenanigans all over the place. 

 

I also love playing promiscuous men who think they are a gift to women. 

 

I love playing the annoying bro in a bromance who always has to have his hair the right way and gets angry when his best friend hangs out with a woman more than with him. 

 

I loooooove playing the spitfire little sister character that thinks she's not important even though she's like the most important and doesn't realize it. 

 

And like any romance trope because I'm trash. 

[Bro 89]

My two favorites at the moment, since it tends to change depending on how I'm feeling pretty easily, are:

 

• The personified chihuahua, which itself contains two sub-types. Both are tiny and easily-excitable, but one is twitchy and nervous and either afraid of everything or way too trusting for their own good, while the other is angry and mean and desperately trying to make up for their small stature with the power of PURE RAGE. 

 

• The strong silent type that everyone assumes is a massive jerk but actually has a heart of gold. Bonus points if they're a cop/government official in a story where the government is generally looked upon unfavorably and the stoic does something un-lawful to help the rebels/populace.